Sweden jails man for crown jewel heist

STOCKHOLM: A Swedish court on Friday jailed a 22-year old man for four and a half years for stealing 17th century crown jewels from a cathedral in broad daylight in July.

The Eskilstuna district court found Nicklas Backstrom guilty of stealing two 1611 gold burial crowns and an orb from a locked display in Strangnas Cathedral, located 100 kilometers west of Stockholm, fleeing the scene in a motorboat.

The items, valued at 65 million kronor, were originally interred with King Carl IX and his wife Queen Christina, but were later exhumed and put on display. Backstrom’s trial opened in January, and was briefly suspended when the jewels suddenly turned up in a dumpster outside Stockholm. One of the crowns had been damaged, the court said in its verdict.

Backstrom’s DNA was found on the items, and he confessed to the robbery. He was also found guilty of attempted robbery for three other royal objects left behind in the cathedral valued at 26.5 million kronor, though he denied those charges.